Saturday, April 25, 2009

Every time I spend time visiting Real Life Church here in Santa Clarita, CA, I leave encouraged.

Their name matches their identity. They are a group of people that fosters this kind of atmosphere where people can truly be themselves - and you see it and hear it - real lives, no pretense, no pretending. (Well, not AS much...they aren't perfect...but that's the point.)

In wrestling with the content of the book TrueFaced and what the authors paint as a healthy community environment, what they call 'The Room of Grace' - I'm encouraged and challenged as I see the church here live it out. It is present in their leadership, in their Sunday gathering and in their Life Groups - it permeates everything.

When Paul writes to the churches, he writes to them as partners, he demonstrates a 2-way-ness and I guess that's why I'm encouraged by Real Life. Yes, their financial support is essential, necessary and their faithfulness and encouragement are helpful. But they challenge me by their example and their commitment to live out the kind of grace the Father shows - the arms wide open, tears in the eyes, dinner on the table-kind of grace, the only kind of grace that will change lives in Italy...

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The Sunken Church

This blog follows the life, ministry and adventures of the Casey family. We were missionaries in Ancona, Italy from 2000 until 2011. We are now adventuring in the US of A, experimenting with running a business, growing a garden, raising a family and challenging the Church to break outside the box and adopt new forms to reach a new generation with the truth of the Gospel.

di Ancona

About Me

Born in Santiago, Chile I have grown up on the move - lived in some 15 different homes. I am a 'word' person - enjoying almost anything to do with books and literature. I love exploring God's great world and helping people find their place in it.

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sunken

The story goes like this:

There once was a church down by the port in Ancona, Italy. With the passing of time, shaken by earthquakes and beaten by the winds, the foundations of the church crumbled and the church toppled into the sea. A friend of ours shared with us that she remembers, as a little girl, playing along the pier and seeing the remains of the church under the water. She remembers seeing the cross from the top of the church under the surface. She told us that some say that if the wind was strong enough and the waves choppy enough, you could even hear the bells...

The story leads to this question:

If we were to raise her out of the water, if we were to restore her completely to what she was originally intended to be...what would she look like? If we were to remove her from all the traditions that humankind has surrounded her with and drowned her in...who would she be?